The Book of Nine Swords:
by Slim Summers
Summary: My spin of the OC with some elements of my own such as a Half-Blue Dragon main character with a class not normally found in NWN2. There will be great focus on Qara in this fic as I don't think she gets enough love.  Undecided on romance though.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue  Part I

**The Book of Nine Swords:**

By Slim Summers

**Disclaimer:**

Neverwinter Nights 2 belongs to Atari, Obsidian Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast.

As I am writing an adaption of the game, there are instances where a large amount of in game dialogue will be present which is intended and may spoil the game for those who have not played it. However I am including some original plot developments such as the history of the main character's mother and father.

This fan fiction will make use of classes not normally found in the game but rather in the Pen and Paper version, specifically using the Sword Sage class from the book Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords. For those who don't know this class think of most Japanese anime heroes who are able to do various things with their swords through the use of their ki/chakra/energy etc.

I do intend to focus on a character that is not often given attention to in fanfic: The Sorceress Qara (Her, Neeshka and Khelgar are my favorite companions.) whether there will be romance between the main character and her or Neeshka is a distinct possibility which is still up in the air.

One last thing I should mention: In this story, the hero of the original campaign of NWN 1 was also the hero of its Hordes of the Underdark Expansion.

**Prologue (Where Things happen) - Part 1**

DR: 1377, 7 months before the events of the game:

'Calm, I have to stay calm.' Bevil thought, shaking his head slightly hoping to dislodge some of the sweat and stray hair that was clinging to his brow. If it had been one of the regular militia training sessions he attended he might have trusted his sparring partner not to attack while he quickly wiped his forehead but Bevil knew that his current opponent would take advantage the instant he saw an opening.

"Are you going to actually attack anytime soon or are you going to just stand looking like the dumb ox that everyone knows that you are?"

'Ignore him' Bevil thought as his cheeks flushed 'and stay calm.'

A small smile appeared on his fellow villager's face as Bevil kept silent. "Not even going to deny it, I see. Well it's good that you've accepted that you're a dumb ox and always will be."

Bevil's grip tightened on his longsword as he moved forward looking for a flaw in his opponent's defence.

There was none.

What happened next shocked him. The short spear that had been pointing straight at him was casually thrown aside. The arms that had been holding the weapon now casually across his opponent's chest and the smile on his face grew bigger.

'Wha…this is impossible' Bevil's mind went blank for an instant. Standing just before him with greasy hair and a taunting smirk on his face was none other then Wyl Mossfield.

"Seriously how someone like you could be of use to anyone is beyond me." The voice might not have been Wyl's but it was just as malicious as the bully of West Harbour had ever been. "Maybe I should go and offer your mother a helping hand, she'll probably appreciate that. Maybe she'll even _thank me…_"

"Don't talk like that about my mother!" Bevil roared as he charged straight at his tormentor, his longsword at the ready.

His opponent seemingly unaware that he should be trying to evade Bevil's attack or at least attempt to block it, actually stepped forward just as Bevil reached him. Bevil saw one hand reach out to hold his sword arm, preventing him from swinging then felt the second grasp his tunic for just an instant and pulling. The next thing Bevil knew he was being turned around and being pushed to the side.

'_Wait, where's Wyl? that was Aresnar?' _Bevil thought as he stumbled trying to stop himself, an effort that was some what hampered by his confusion over what just happened.

It was a pity about the tree that was straight in his way.

* * *

Aresnar gave a soft sigh as he watched Bevil hit the tree face first. _'He should have been able to stop himself before that.'_

"Bevil," A young woman's voice rang out through the clearing. "are you alright?"

A muffled groan was her only answer as the second child of the Starling clan slowly turned himself around so that he lay on his back.

Knowing Amie would tend to Bevil, the young (for his kind) elf bent down to pick up his short spear and Bevil's longsword from the ground when he suddenly felt a sharp pain from his chest.

"Kelanen's swords." Aresnar muttered through gritted teeth. _'That's the third time today.'_

"Ilmater's mercy, Ares, do you have to be so rough?" Amie chided. Turning around to face her elven friend, her eyes widened as she saw him kneeling on the ground, face crunched in pain and one hand over his chest

"Aresnar, what's wrong?"

Aresnar gave a pain filled grunt as the pressure in his chest slowly began to recede. Using his short spear as support the elf slowly got up before looking at his concerned friends.

"It's nothing. Just some chest pains, I've been having it'll pass." Aresnar said, not sure whether he was trying to reassure them or himself.

"You sure about that?" Bevil responded, looking up at Aresnar from where he was sitting on the ground. "You look even worse then I feel."

"If it gets any worse I'll speak to Merring."

"You might want to do that anyway. Your face is as white as a ghost." Amie said while coming over to take a closer look.

"By the way Amie, what are you doing here?" Bevil was completely confused. "You nearly never come to see us practice."

"I asked her to come." Aresnar said before Amie could barely open her mouth, seizing the opportunity to change the subject.

"You've been getting better at holding your temper during training and I wanted to see if you'd keep it when you sparred with the Mossfields." Aresnar continued, while reaching out with his hand to help his friend turned student up.

"Thanks." Bevil gripped his teacher's hand and pulled himself up. The militia man began brushing some of the dirt off his breeches when comprehension dawned on his face.

"Wait so when I saw Wyl Mossfield earlier…"

"That was me." The excitement in Amie's was plain to all three. "I mean it was an illusion I cast. I can't make it move or speak yet but I think I'm getting the hang of it now. It looked fairly real and it was a good likeness too, not that I hang around the Mossfields that much."

"Wait, an illusion?" Bevil interrupted his enthusiastic friend. "You made an illusion of Wyl Mossfield?"

"I asked her to." Bevil's head turned to face his other friend. The one he had been intent on beheading earlier.

"I told you, you're getting better." Aresnar shrugged. "You lasted almost an hour today and it took Wyl Mossfield to make you angry."

"Thanks, I guess." Bevil was uncertain how to take this. "I wasn't expecting to see Wyl's face though."

"That's why I asked Amie to cast that illusion over me." The elf said in a calm tone that reminded Bevil far too much of Aresnar's foster father's.

"You can keep your head with me but when it's Wyl Mossfield?" Aresnar continued as he handed Bevil back his sword. Aresnar then pushed the end of his spear into the ground, holding it in place before turning and walking back to the center of the clearing.

"The Mossfields' are very irritating though, Ares." Amie interjected as she saw Bevil's face grow slightly red, this time from embarrassment.

"If Bevil doesn't keep his temper then he's going to keep on loosing to them." Aresnar drew his longsword from the sheath at his hip. Holding the blade it up in two hands, he began going through his own exercise routine, the same as he always did after he finishing his spar with Bevil.

"He's right, Amie." There was a mixture of resigned acceptance and shame in Bevil's voice as he stared at the ground. "That's the main reason I loose to Wyl during practice. I get sloppy and make mistakes. That's the reason for the Starling curse; Lorne lost the Harvest Brawl to Cormick, because couldn't keep his temper."

"Your doing better Lorne ever did though." Aresnar said loudly, causing Bevil to look up at his friend, who was smoothly moving from one attack to the next. "He couldn't hold his temper nearly as good as you and he had no interest in trying."

"Really?" Bevil's surprise and pleasure was evident.

"It's the truth."

Bevil's chest puffed up slightly, while Amie shook her head bemusedly. It was all too easy for the two of them to forget that their friend was an elf who had lived five times as long as either of them already and had been present during the legendary West Harbour Harvest Brawl between Cormick and Lorne.

'_I can't believe I'm friends with the guy who's been the first crush of every girl in West Harbour when they come of age for the last ten years. '_ Amie grinned. Even Amie who normally stayed away from the rest of village girls when it came to gossip about boys knew that.

While Aresnar with his long black hair and storm grey eyes was somewhat attractive, it was the fact that he was an elf that really appealed to the young girls. The simple fact was that most of the men in West Harbour were farmers who eked out a rough living from the nearby swamp. Most were men like Bevil, honest, respectable and hard working but only a few of them could be called handsome and none could match an elf for simple exoticness.

'_Wonder how big a shock it was to them when their knight in shining armour turned them down flat.'_ Amie giggled. For all the fact that West Harbour children were fascinated by Aresnar, the elf severely disliked childish behaviour if not actual children. The fact that he was a recluse who preferred to spend time practicing his sword work over spending time with others was another factor in the elf's annoyance with his young fans.

It was a small point of pride for Tarmas's apprentice that she was one of the few people whom Aresnar honestly called friend in West Harbour. Their relationship had sprung from the fact that Tarmas had asked Aresnar to help Amie learn draconic when she was younger with the incentive of having another partner to converse with in that tongue. While Aresnar could speak elven with Daegun and surprisingly even Merring, the only other one who could speak Draconic in West Harbour was Tarmas as most arcane treatises were written in that tongue but he made a very dour conversation companion. She never learnt why Aresnar could speak it however. She and Aresnar had struck up a friendship during the lessons with Aresnar being relieved that his young student was more interested in magic then in pestering him. The fact that she was remarkably intelligent for her age helped matters.

'_It's a miracle that the village council still allows him to compete in the Harvest Fair. Guess they believed Tarmas and Merring when they said that ninty-eight is young for an elf.' _Amie wondered, remembering what Tarmas had told her. _'Most elves aren't allowed to get married till they are at least ten years past their first century.'_

Bevil meanwhile watched Aresnar go through his own practice intently as he always did if he could spare the time after their training. Aresnar was only slightly taller then average for an elf but he was still just as strong as Bevil and somewhat faster too. What really amazed the militia man when they sparred was that Aresnar seemed to have a knack for predicting attacks and moving out of the way.

In the center of the clearing Aresnar who had been weaving his weapon in an elaborate movement suddenly lashed out in an attack that always made Bevil's mouth drop when saw it.

"That's amazing." Amie muttered. For a second it had appeared as if there had been a second duplicate blade of the sword Aresnar was using during the attack. Beside her, Bevil nodded his head as he also kept his gaze fixed on his friend's movements.

"That's right you don't come to see us practice that often do you? He occasionally just uses these moves that I've never seen anyone do before. The one just now for example, I wouldn't which sword to defend myself against. "

"Didn't he learn that from Georg or someone in the militia?" Ami asked, not taking her eyes of the spectacle in front of her.

"Nope, I asked Georg. Georg said he'd never anyone fight like Aresnar does and he's fought with the Greycloaks."

"Apparently what ever Aresnar fighting style uses, it's really difficult to learn." Bevil continued. "Georg said he couldn't learn it when he tried training with Aresnar when he was younger. Apparently Cormick and Lorne learnt a little bit but they couldn't come close to what Aresnar does."

"Is it really that difficult?" Amie asked incredulously. While she did not share Tarmas's disdain for people who in his view 'bashed each other with swords all day because they did not have the intellect for more worth while occupations', she had never considered anything involving weapons to come remotely close to the difficulty of the Art or come close to being as interesting. Aresnar was currently proving her wrong on both counts.

"Well…" Bevil hesitated before whispering. "Don't tell Aresnar I said this but I think it's just that he's not that good at teaching. My first lessons with Georg were all about how to hold a sword, what stance to use and things like that, with Aresnar the first lesson was on meditation, how to feel your body's inner energies, how to become one with your sword and practically nothing to do with using a weapon at all."

"_Inner _energies?" Amie asked. _'That sounds like sorcery but even sorcerers' shouldn't be able to do things like this.'_

"To be honest," Bevil said with a rising bit of confidence in his tone. "I'm not sure these moves will be very effective in an actual battle."

"What do you mean?" Amie asked, surprised. She rarely if ever went to watch the militia practice unlike most of the young women in West Harbour but what ever Aresnar was doing certainly looked effective to her.

"Take a look." Bevil gestured towards Aresnar who had seemingly paused in the middle of his exercise in a ready stance with the flat of his blade placed up against his forehead.

"He's doing it right now. Meditating in the middle of an exercise. He says he has to meditate briefly even while fighting to…to…Oh I don't know." Bevil shook his head in confusion. "To re-centre his energies or something like that."

In front of them their friend moved the blade away from his forehead and resumed his exercise as if he had never stopped cold, for six whole seconds.

"All I know is that in battle even tiny breaks in the middle of battle like the one he took can mean death" Bevil stated with certainty. "If not for you, then one of your fellows."

Amie nodded her head grudgingly. All she really knew of fighting was her experience in the last three Harvest brawls, so she was inclined to believe Bevil partly because of his experience in the Militia and partly because what he said sounded like it made sense. However watching Aresnar repeat some of the moves he had shown earlier was filling her with excitement.

'_Is he using magic? While holding a sword?'_ She thought with a growing smile on her face. _'He never told me he was skilled in the Art. The only ones I know who can do something like that are those Elven Blade Singers that Tarmas told me about.'_

Amie softly began muttering arcane words under her breath as her fingers slowly began moving through the familiar patterns of one of the earliest spells that Tarmas had taught her.

The spell cast, Amie focused entirely on Aresnar as he again meditated for a few seconds, this time in a more conventional guard position before resuming his practice and repeating some of the moves he had show earlier.

"What's wrong, Amie?" Bevil asked as he noticed the smile on her face change to a look of concentration then to one of determination and finally to a frustrated pout.

Amie gave a soft sigh as the spell of detect magic expired before turning her head to face Bevil. "I thought he might be using magic so I cast a spell to that would let me see if any magic was being used nearby but I couldn't find any not even when he made sword double again."

"What ever he's doing, it's not magic." Amie continued her frustration plain in her voice. "Where did he learn to do something like this?"

"Don't know." Bevil voice became slightly hesitant. "I think he knew whatever it is from before…"

"Before what?"

"You know…" Bevil hissed. "Before he lost his memory."

"Oh." Amie's face flushed as she mentally kicked herself. _'I should have remembered that.'_

In front of them of them Aresnar continued his exercise, trying to keep his mind focused on his bladework rather then what he had overheard his friends discussing. The elf had been blessed with keen ears but he had always found that to be a mixed blessing in a small village, which was partially why he preferred spending most of his time alone.

'_Wonder if I should tell them that I do remember where I learnt how to fight.'_ Aresnar thought. _'It's just that I don't remember where my mother learnt to fight. Abyss take it, I don't even remember if I ever knew.'_

What frustrated Aresnar was that Bevil was somewhat right, the elf really was a lousy teacher however the flaw was less in the ability to teach but rather he himself had little idea of what exactly he was doing or how he was doing it. Using words like 'Inner Energy' was simply the only way the he could describe what it felt like to him. However what really frustrated Aresnar was that he might never know how and why he could fight like he did or more importantly remember most of his past other then vague images and scenes during his reverie5. While a person might recover from normal amnesia, recovering from one put in place by magic was another matter.

While most of West Harbour's townfolk believed that Aresnar had lost his memory in the battle in which the village had been destroyed sixteen years ago, the elf had himself learnt that they were mistaken. Even when he came to West Harbour with his mother all those years ago he had not really remembered anything. He knew his mother was his mother, he could remember seeing his mother practice moves even more intricate and beautiful then the ones he used. He could remember travelling through various lands with his mother always being in a hurry and never stopping to rest but he could never remember where they were travelling from or from whom for that matter.

Sometimes he would recognise would recognise the scent of certain spices and perfumes that the merchant Galen carried but never the names or how. He could be in the middle of cooking which was one thing he had never learnt from Daegun and suddenly remember large masculine hands skilfully cooking an exotic dish while he looked on but whose hands he never knew. The elven reverie, where elves instead of sleeping fell into a trance like state and could literally re-live past memories held no answers as he either relived memories of his time in West Harbour or received vague disjointed images and scenes of his past rather then actually reliving it.

Aresnar remembered visiting Brother Merring shortly after he had arrived in West Harbour to see if his divine magic could do anything but the priest of Lathander's efforts had come to naught. The priest had claimed that Aresnar was not suffering from amnesia but something else was blocking his memory. A follow up visit to Tarmas had confirmed the fact that someone had sealed his memories but the unsealing was beyond either Tarmas or Merring.

'_I can't really blame them. Not even Rial'vas Starym's magic could discover anything'_ Aresnar thought, recalling the elven sorcerer who had visited West Harbour shortly after Neverwinter's war with Luskan. _'and he was the Hero of Neverwinter.' _

'_All I really know about how I fight is that it feels comforting whenever I practice and it's important that I do.' _

Aresnar suddenly stopped his sword in mid-lunge and whirled about to face the east side of the clearing.

"What's wrong? Did you hear some thing?" Bevil asked gripping his sword when the voice of his friend's foster father rang across the clearing.

"I'm glad to see my lessons have not been entirely lost to you." Daegun said in the calm tone he nearly always used as he emerged from behind a tree. "Although it would have been better if you had noticed me approaching sooner."

"Foster Father" Aresnar greeted formally, sheathing his sword. Behind him Amie and Bevil echoed their own greetings.

"It's good to see you." Aresnar said calmly moving closer to his foster parent but not actually embracing him as other West Harbour children would do to theirs. "How was your hunting expedition?"

"Poor, unfortunately. There was a surprising shortage of animals to be found given the season." Aresnar's eyes widened slightly, his foster father's skills at hunting were the best in West Harbour. It was rare that he ever described an expedition as poor.

"That is not why I have come" Daegun's said with his eyes fixed to his foster child's chest. "however before I get to that I must ask you why is there blood on your vest?"

"Blood?" Aresnar looked down at his chest an action mimicked by Amie and Bevil. Sure enough there was a tiny blood stain on his light wool vest right where he had grabbed his chest earlier.

"Did Bevil manage to injure you at last?" There was a bit of a wry disbelief in Daegun's tone.

"I didn't even manage to touch him." Bevil protested as Aresnar proceeded to take off his vest. "He's too good for…"

Bevil's voice trailed off as he stared at Aresnar's chest along with everyone else.

"What _**is**_ that?"

"Are those…scales?"

Daegun remained silent while Aresnar ignored his friends entirely as his mind tried to come to terms with what he saw. There was the scar near his heart that he had since the attack on West Harbour, a few drops of blood leaking out from a small wound he must have made when he clutched his chest when he had suffered that bout of pain earlier, however what truly drew his and everyone's attention was that the majority of his upper chest seemed to be covered in very light thin scales.

The young elf slowly reached out with one hand, using his fingers to lightly brush the small scales unsure if he should be relieved that his eyes were not playing tricks when he could feel them or even more worried.

'_This is impossible.'_ Not really thinking Aresnar began to scratch the scales on his chest with both hands, hoping they would come off, that this would be some sort of joke being played on him.

"Stop Aresnar." Daegun said with surprising emotion, reaching out to grasp his child's hands.

Aresnar looked up at his foster, grey eyes pleading.

"Take a look at your fingers, my son." Daegun's voice was unexpectedly gentle this time.

Aresnar looked down, noticing for the first time that his normally groomed nails were slightly larger then before and pointed almost like claws.

'_That explains that wound on my chest.'_ Aresnar found himself thinking in a clinical manner, as if this was happening to some one else and he was only observing. _'Must have scratched my chest when I clutched it.'_

Beside him Amie and Bevil were muttering and making excited comments but Aresnar found himself still staring at his hands which were gently clutched in Daegun's own.

Daegun let go of his grip on his son's hands and slowly placing one hand on his foster-son's should and using the other to raise his chin so that he was looking at Daegun straight in the eyes.

Aresnar blinked before saying the first words that came in to his head.

"Daegun, What in Kelanen's name is happening?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

This chapter and remaining chapters of the prologue are all un-beta'd so far but are ready to upload otherwise. I might touch them up and re-upload if I get a good beta or feedback but otherwise they should be ok. I just really wanted to post them before I got nervous and deleted them entirely.

There will be a bit of exposition in the prologue as I try to explain some background info so please try and bear with it for a bit.

Also I realise that the amnesia trope is a bit over played, but I really disliked the fact that in the game my elf by default was 120 years and yet couldn't remember Cormick or the war with the King of Shadows.


	2. Chapter 2: Prologue Part II

**The Book of Nine Swords:**

By Slim Summers

**Disclaimer:**

Neverwinter Nights 2 belongs to Atari, Obsidian Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast.

* * *

**Prologue (Father & Son Bonding) - Part 2**

'_Beshaba spare me.'_ Bevil pleaded to the goddess of misfortune in his mind as he washed another batch of clothes.

Daegun had taken charge quickly back at the clearing. Instructing Amie and Bevil to go and fetch Tarmas and Merring along with an admonishment to the two that they keep quiet about what had happened while he escorted his foster son back to their home. The pair had raced to do as they were told and had indeed found Tarmas and Brother Merring fairly quickly. However his mother had found him walking with Brother Merring to Daegun's place and had promptly reminded him about the chores that he had left to do for the day. Not being able to deny his mother without explaining why he had to go see Aresnar, Bevil let Brother Merring continue alone while he accompanied his mother back to their home.

"Amie better come by later to tell me what's going on." Bevil muttered, concerned for one of the two people in West Harbour he could honestly call a friend.

Aresnar had always been a part of West Harbour as far as Bevil was concerned. Some of his earliest memories were of the elf walking behind Daegun or helping Tarmas teach the village children. Later memories were of Aresnar sparring with Lorne and Cormick as well as the odd rivalry mixed with friendship the three had.

'_Sometimes I wonder if the only reason he became friends with me is because of Lorne.'_ Bevil thought morosely, his mind taking the depressing turn it always did when he wondered too long at the reason behind his friendship with perhaps the most reclusive person in West Harbour next to his friend's foster father Daegun Farlong. There was some justification behind the thought. Certainly the second-eldest of the Starling clan would never be counted among the brightest of the village. He couldn't debate history or speak another language and was not found of reading books on history like Aresnar could and did when he got the chance. The only reason he was friends with Amie was because he had gotten to know her through Aresnar. Bevil knew the main reason behind the start of his friendship with Aresnar was that Lorne had asked his former sparring partner to help look after the Starling family after Lorne left for Neverwinter. Aresnar had kept his word helping Rhetta out with many of the same chores that Bevil now did and during that time struck up if not a friendship then tolerance at least with the young boy who helped him in completing those chores. Later, when Bevil and his sibling had grown up somewhat Aresnar had gradually stopped helping out as much as he used to but that small almost friendship had remained. Later when Bevil got a reputation among the village children as a tattle teller and being a goody two shoes, Aresnar had been the only one outside of the village adults to treat him as he usually did.

Perhaps part of the reason was that Aresnar had little to fear from Bevil's tattling. Physically the elf had nearly reached full growth even before he came to West Harbour which placed him in a strange situation in a village full of humans. Quite a few treated him as an adult which allowed him to get away with a lot. In addition unlike most of the village youth, he was given almost complete freedom by his foster father. Aresnar did not have as many chores of his own to do and neither did he have to help out on a family farm. Daegun also placed few if any restrictions on his ward's activities beyond letting him know what Aresnar's plans for the day were. While most would have taken such an opportunity to do nothing all day and become lazy, Aresnar was always doing something. Generally it was practicing that weird sword style of his but there were times one could find him reading the rare history book that the merchant Galen brought on his yearly trips, cooking for the sheer enjoyment of it or receiving lessons from Daegun on wood lore or the use of the bow. Aresnar was simply the most driven person in West Harbour and had been a constant in the village for most of Bevil's life in some form or another.

Now something was causing that constant to change and Bevil didn't like it.

* * *

Aresnar lay slumped on his bed. It had been close to six hours since his training session with Bevil. The youth was trying to get his mind sorted on what had occurred but try as he might he just couldn't. _'I'm an elf. We don't have claws and we don't just grow scales.'_

Tarmas and Merring had arrived shortly after Daegun and Aresnar had reached home, accompanied solely by Amie with Bevil, having being called to help his mother with some chores. The wizard and the priest had proceeded to examine Aresnar, casting various spells, asking him questions and both shaking their head in disapproval when he told them about the chest pains he had been having, Daegun's eyes had merely widened. Their examination had been very thorough although somewhat hampered by the youth being on the verge of a panic attack. Merring had eventually given Aresnar a light sleeping draught which made the elf sleep for a time, which had been a unique experience for him as elves normally did not sleep. Apparently the pair had left some time ago along with Amie. Aresnar supposed he should get up and talk with Daegun to find out what they had said but instead he remained lying listlessly on his bed.

'_I wonder how these will affect my sword work'_ Aresnar thought looking at his claws.

"Perhaps it's some sort of curse."

"Not according to Brother Merring." Aresnar jumped into the air, falling of the bed as he did so at the sound of his foster father's voice.

Daegun shot him a disapproving look from where he stood by the door as Aresnar slowly got up.

"You startled me" Aresanar stated in elven clutching his beating heart before sitting down on his bed again.

"So I see." Daegun responding in the same language, as they normally did when alone. "As I was saying Brother Merring examined you and did not believe that you suffered from a curse. He attempted to remove one anyway however as you still seem to have those scales, he was evidently correct."

"And Tarmas, what did he have to say? If it's not a curse then what magic am I suffering from? "

"He believes it is perhaps the opposite." Daegun said, sitting down on a small chair opposite Aresnar and looking him in the eyes. "That you're not so much suffering from a spell now but rather that a spell is slowly wearing out."

"Wearing out?" Aresnar exclaimed loudly before shutting his mouth firmly at Daegun's look. If there was anything Daegun hated it was being irritated with mindless questions while he was speaking.

"He says that he will have to run some more tests and prepare some spells to confirm but his inclination is that someone placed a spell on you long ago." Daegun hesitated slightly, glancing at his foster son who was nervously clutching his knees. "That spell is now weakening and your full heritage is coming to light."

"My full…heritage?" Aresnar muttered softly before exploding. "What in the Nine Hells does that mean?"

"There is no need to raise your voice, Aresnar." Daegun said firmly and continued before his foster son could respond. "It means precisely what you think. That you are not of full elven blood. Tarmas suspects that you might be part dragon although to what degree he cannot say."

"Part dragon? You mean my father was a dragon?"

"Perhaps or perhaps he was just a half-dragon himself, who can say?"

"And you? Do you believe Tarmas?"

Daegun hesitated, considering his next words. While he did believe in keeping some truths from people if he felt it was necessary, he did not like lying unnecessarily even if saying a lie might have been kinder. "I do."

Aresnar's eyes closed for a moment and he took a deep breath before opening them again as Daegun continued speaking.

"While I am not a full elf myself, I was raised by the wild elves and I have noticed how they normally grow. A full elf would normally have reached full physical growth long before the age you were when you arrived in West Harbour, yet you seemed to continue growing despite already being fairly tall for a Sun elf. You also seemed to mature at a slower pace from most elven children from what I recall of you when you were young, which could be explained by your father being of an even more long lived race."

Aresnar remained silent as he tried to take in what his foster father was saying, while Daegun stared at him with a contemplative expression.

"Didn't…" Aresnar hesitated. "Didn't my mother ever say anything to you? About me? Or my father?"

"No, she never mentioned any details about your father. And in my homeland, we respect such silence."

"Also there is one other thing that points towards your father being of dragon blood." Daegun said in the firm tone of voice of one who had come to a decision as he got up. "Come with me."

Aresnar got up and slowly followed his foster father went into the attic, the elf having to bend down slightly to not bump his head. Neither of them bothered to light a candle, relying on their elven vision to see with the low moon light coming in from the window. His foster father went straight to a large he had kept neatly to the side and sat down, taking out a small key and placing it into the lock.

"After the attack on West Harbour" Daegun's voice became slightly lower as it always did when he spoke of that battle. "I gathered up your mother's belongings as best I could and stored them in this chest. I intended to give them to you when you reached your majority or if you ever chose to leave West Harbour but fate seems to have other plans it seems."

Aresnar's eyes widened at Daegun's words and he had to keep himself from scuttling closer and peering over Daegun's shoulder as he turned the key and opened the chest. Daegun reached into the chest and felt around briefly before bringing hand back out holding a short sword.

'_Kodachi'_ Aresnar blinked. He could not remember hearing that word before but it had just popped into his head and he knew that it was the correct term for this type of blade, a fact confirmed when Daegun spoke.

"Your mother used to call this type of sword, a Kodachi. She carried it for a long time, even before I knew her but it broke during on one of our adventures. She kept the hilt however and later when she returned to West Harbour she showed this to me." Daegun slowly drew the blade from its sheath, revealing not metal but ivory.

"As you can tell the blade is not made of metal, Esmerelle told me that was made out of a dragon's fang." Daegun stated handing the weapon over to the eager hands of his foster son. "She said it had been a gift and my Shayla told me that from her tone it was from someone she cared for and was important to her."

"I do not know for certain if the fang came from your father, grand father or even belonged to a relative of yours at all but it does lend some credence to Tarmas's theory." Daegun stated standing up, clearly regarding the task of giving Aresnar proof of his heritage done. "If you wish, you might as well take your mother's belongings now. I imagine you will be too eager to wait any longer."

Daegun had only taken one step before his right hand was suddenly held in a death grip. Looking down his gaze was caught by his Aresnar's eyes. "Tell me about my mother."

To Daegun, his heart suddenly seemed to be beating far too loudly as he stared at the desperation in his foster son's eyes.

"Fost…" Aresnar seemed to be having trouble getting the words out of his mouth. "Daeg…_Father please, _tell me about my mother."

Daegun slowly sat down and after a moment of silence began talking.

* * *

"I first met your mother when I was much younger and seeking adventure. We met in a tavern and with some others formed a small party and journeyed across Faerun for a time." Daegun's tone was wistful as he remembered happier times.

"Your mother may have been the strongest member of our band, what she could do with her blade makes you seem like a novice but for all that she didn't lead our band. She claimed that Faerun was too unfamiliar to her. It was only later that I discovered what she meant."

"After journeying together for a time she revealed that she had not been born on Faerun but rather she had been born on another world and had only arrived on Faerun due to an accidentally from sort of magical accident."

Daegun looked straight at his son and with out hesitation said "Before you ask, I believed her completely. There were too many small things with the way she behaved and spoke over a long period of time that lent proof to her words."

"She stated that part of her reason behind adventuring was to find a way back to her world but it was clear to all of us that she had an adventurer's heart. She found a joy in our lifestyle that I could never match. By the time we met, she had already travelled half way across Faerun, from far off Kara-tur where she was originally given that Kodachi that's in your hands as well as a fine bow by someone whom she said was her first friend on Faerun, to the Endless Wastes all the way to the Sword Coast."

"She did not speak much of the world she came from stating she did not want to dwell too much on the past, even stating that she gave up her old name and had taken up a new one sometime after she arrived on Faerun. She liked the sound of Esmerelle apparently." Daegun paused looking down on the ground briefly. "I admire her sentiment regarding loss but it appears that I have been unsuccessful in embracing it."

Aresnar opened his mouth but Daegun continued before he could speak. "From what I gathered, the elven society of her world much resembled that of far away Kara-tur here, apart from the differences in race. She always wondered if that was why she originally arrived there when she came to Faerun. " A brief smile appeared on Daegun's face. "She was shocked when first arrived to see humans wearing elven clothes. In her realm, humans inhabit another continent and generally spend most their time fighting among themselves."

"After some years of adventuring we realised that out of the original band that had met in that tavern, she and I were the only ones left." Daegun's voice grew somber as he spoke his next words. "I had had enough of death, especially of those close to me while your mother continued for a time. Esmerelle may have met your father somewhere in Calimshan, I believe as she settled there longer then she did in any place since I knew her. "

"I was still settling in West Harbour and hadn't even met Shayla when your mother came to visit with the aid of magic, thick with child." Daegun gave a deep breath as he remembered.

"She continued visiting me from time to time, sometimes bringing you. I believe she knew my nature and was worried that I would isolate myself completely. She was overjoyed when I told her about Shayla and our impending marriage. She and Shayla grew close…" Daegun trailed off as he remembered how life used to have been. "Those were good times."

"We were surprised when she visited last as she arrived overland for the first time." Daegun paused considering events from long ago. "I could tell she was worried about something but she refused my offer to help, saying I should concentrate on my life with Shayla. It was at this time that she asked Shayla to look after you if something were to happen to her, a promise that Shayla readily gave and as fate would have it, the promise would be fullfilled, but not by my bride but by me."

"Esmerelle never intended me to care for you - such warmth is difficult for me. But you had no one else - so I did as best as I was able. I see other fathers and marvel at how they do it. If it was ever in me - it was lost long ago, buried in the graves of fallen friends." Daegun was silent for a moment before he glanced over at Aresnar. "I know your years with me have not been easy ones - yet I hope you have grown up well in spite of me."

"Because of you." Aresnar responded firmly.

"I am pleased to hear such praise although I would doubt the actual truth in it." Despite his words Daegun's face held a rare smile though it quickly became sombre once again.

"You know what happened after that."

"I do." Aresnar took a deep breath, thinking over all that he had learnt. "Thank you Father."

Both were silent for a moment before Daegun stood up once again, this time holding out a hand to Aresnar. "Come, I will help you carry this chest to your room."

Both father and son worked silently and quickly, feeling closer then they had in years.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Ok, that was a major bit of the character's background out of the way. I included some dialogue from the game then put my own spin on things. Before anyone asks why I made the main character's mother come from another world it was due to two reasons:

One: I dislike her name and wanted to rename her or at least say Esmerelle was not her true name. I am serious about this.

Two: The SwordSage class I intend for the main character to use has some of it's own fluff that I love but would have to be clumsily shoe-horned in, to make it fit into the Realms. So I didn't bother to try.

Three: Finally I like elves and I like blue dragons (My favourite Dragons period) a half dragon character naturally followed.


	3. Chapter 3: Prologue Part III

**The Book of Nine Swords:**

By Slim Summers

**Disclaimer:**

Neverwinter Nights 2 belongs to Atari, Obsidian Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast.

* * *

**Prologue (Mother's Legacy) - Part 3**

Some time later in the night, Aresnar found himself wide awake all thoughts and depression over his dragon blood or changes to his body forgotten. What consumed his thoughts were the items neatly arranged on his bed. His hands started to tremble as he looked over what had once been his mother's belongings.

A long object in a silk cloth bag, a compound long bow with the grip placed much lower then normal, the kodachi, a small bag, a belt pouch, a silver holy symbol, a signet ring and two tomes.

Aresnar let out a deep breath before he moved over to his bed. He could tell that the silk bag contained a sword of some sort which immediately drew his interest. Aresnar delicately untied the knot on top of the bag and then gently removed the object.

It was a sword as he suspected. Its sheath was some unknown type of wood painted in a light blue colour and with a gold engraving of a beautiful winged woman on both sides of the sheath and below her was an image of a butterfly. The handle appeared to be wrapped in some black material and the silver guard was shaped to resemble a flower of some sort.

'_Bet my sword arm that guard is mithril.' _Aresnar swallowed, his throat growing dry at the thought that the rest of the blade might be made of that rare metal as well. Reaching out he nervously gripped the handle, mouth widening in surprise.

'_This grip, it feels like…feathers?' _Aresnar closed his mouth, resolving to ask Daegun such questions later before unsheathing the sword.

Time seemed to slow down for Aresnar. It seemed like his mind had speeded up leaving not just his body but the world behind to move at a pace that seemed close to stationary. In front of him the flickering candle flames were suddenly frozen as was the moth flying near them. Suddenly his mind matched its body once again and time righted itself moving at a normal pace again. _'What was that? What in the Abyss just happened?'_

"Ok, that was not just my mind playing tricks on me." Aresnar muttered, trying to ignore the sweat that had suddenly appeared on his forehead. "This blade is definitely mag…."

'_What in Kelanen's name?'_ While this was the first time that Aresnar could recall seeing a blade with a single edge and curved like this one, it was not the shape of the blade that surprised him. The blade seemed to be forged out of a pure raven black material, which seemed to ripple right before his eyes as if he was viewing it under a thin layer of water. Reaching out he gently ran his finger along the back of the blade and was too emotionally numb to realise that it was cool to touch.

An image of his mother with the blade popped into his mind slowly going through one of the sword exercises that she did everyday.

'_I know you. I've seen you before; you were always at mother's side wherever she went.'_ Aresnar was certain of it, was certain of a lot of things all of a sudden as a few of his memories rushed back.

"Your name is Dae'Megil En Inya Tengu." Aresnar laughed aloud. _'The_ _Shadow Sword of the female Tengu, also known as...'_

"The Black Lightning." Aresnar grinned as he held the sword in front of his eyes.

"What the heck is a Tengu?" Aresnar shook his head as he re-sheathed the sword. Nothing could spoil his good mood as another bit of his memory returned. Laying it back down on his bed he tried to decide on the next item to examine.

'_Right now I wouldn't be surprised if all of these items were magical.'_ Aresnar smiled as he picked up the bow. _'After all, mom was an adventurer.'_

The bow was surprisingly well preserved, to Aresnar's eye. While it did look well crafted, nothing screamed out about the bow being as remarkable as the sword had been apart from the grip being in a truly odd position.

'_So much for all the items being magical I guess but I'll ask Tarmas or Amie to check all of these things later. Better remember to ask Daegun how to actually use a bow like this too. I've never seen one with a grip like this.' _Aresnar thought placing the bow back with care before deciding on the next item to examine.

Skipping over the dragon fang kodachi that he had already seen, he lifted the small bag and tried to open it. _'What in the nine-hells? It won't open.'_

Try as he might, Aresnar couldn't open the bag no matter how he pulled. _'Another thing I'll have to ask Daegun about.'_

Placing the bag back down, Aresnar picked up the belt pouch and found it much more amiable to being opened although the contents left him in a daze almost like the sword had.

'_This has got to be one of those dreams that humans have.' _Aresnar thought in a daze as he looked down. _'Maybe I'm still sleeping from Merring's potion?' _

Inside the pouch were a number of small and seeming very expensive gemstones. Moving over to the desk in his room, Aresnar slowly lifted each one out and placed them on the desk. _'I bet I could buy up all of West Harbour with this. '_

'_Wonder how much these are all worth? I doubt I could ask anyone here. No one in West Harbour knows anything about gems. Maybe Galen when he comes to visit?'_ At the thought of Galen even looking at these gems, a surge of possessiveness swept over Aresnar. _'No, he'd probably try to rob me blind for these, the Mossfields definitely would. Lewy Jons would probably try to kill me for this.'_

Reaching inside the pouch, Aresnar brought up the last gem almost dropping it as he looked at it. The purple gem was shaped like a human skull and seemed to be looking straight at him. Placing it along side the others, Aresnar let out a huff. _'Why did my mother have something like this in her belt pouch?'_

Giving one last look over the gems, Aresnar turned his gaze back on his bed. Picking up and examining the signet ring in one hand, Aresnar tried to place the strange design on it, hoping that it would stir another memory.

'_It looks like a bird made entirely out of lightning.' _Aresnar debated putting it on but decided against it, mentally repeating a common swordsman's rule. _'No ring on your sword hand.' _

Reaching out with his other hand, Aresnar picked up the silver holy symbol next. Consisting of a light chain on which pendant hung of nine swords arrayed in a star shape, points outward, it was a fitting shape for the god of swords and balance. Aresnar thought for a moment before running the light chain through the signet ring and then fastening the chain around his neck.

That only left the two tomes. Aresnar picked up one and began leafing through it.

There was no title on the cover but the contents and purpose of the book were clear.

"It's mother's journal" Aresnar said as he sat down. As he leafed through it however he began to frown. While there were numerous filled pages at the start of the journal, the middle and end of the book was almost blank. There were written pages here and there and even an occasional paragraph by itself on an otherwise blank page. The way the text trailed off, implied there should have been something written on the apparently blank pages. "Gods, can't you just make things easy for once?"

Placing the journal back down, he picked up the second one. Unlike the first, there was a title on its cover written in elvish. Aresnar began leafing through it as he had done the first. A small smile appeared on his face which slowly grew the further he turned the pages. Inside were diagrams, exercises and meditation techniques similar to what he practiced daily. Shutting the book, he looked at its cover where it's was written in elvish.

"The Book of Nine Swords. A guide to the Nine-fold way." Aresnar said out loud. "Fitting."

Aresnar carefully placed all of his mother's belongings save for the tomes back in Daegun's chest and then settled down to begin reading.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry for the relatively short update but I struggled a bit with this chapter. You see one of the things I hate about D&D in general is that of item switching: "oh a +5 sword of So & So, better toss my +2 Sword of Such and Such to the trash."

The way I did it is that I introduced a lot of wealth at the start but you will find that the Main character will not be able to actually use all of this right now and what he can use will be restricted in some way however many of these items will be present and used through out the character's career and there will be an emotional weight to most of them which partly why I went into describing the items.

Finally a bit of a hint, I actually introduced a character in this chapter.


	4. Chapter 4: Interlude History

**The Book of Nine Swords:**

By Slim Summers

**Disclaimer:**

Neverwinter Nights 2 belongs to Atari, Obsidian Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast.

* * *

**Interlude: Book of Nine Swords – History**

_It has been more then a century since I first arrived on the world of Toril, however I know that one day I will depart it, whether by some miracle I return to my home world or journey to my god Kelanen's side in death. As a humble worshipper of the god of swords, I have endeavoured to follow his dictates and pass on my own limited knowledge of the Sublime Way to those of this world. I have taught a small number of apprentices where and when I could. At other times I attempt to finish writing this tome where I place all that I know of the Sublime Way. To all who desire to learn and grow, may this tome aid you in your journey. _

_by Esmerelle _

_Formally Lady Vizunika Del'Mars of Elindra _

_While many may call them selves a master of the ways of battle, be that with the blade or spear, mace or fist, they are as children to a follower of the Sublime Way or what is sometimes called the Nine-fold path. The secret lore that combines a warrior's inner strength, training and discipline into the perfect weapon._

_Most inhabitants of the world of Faerun would deem the acts and deeds of a master of the Sublime Way to be magical, this is a false assumption. To follow the Sublime Way is to call upon the power inherent in the mind, spirit and body of every being – If they chose to develop it. _

_Before moving further it might be best to discuss some of the history of the Sublime Way. _

_In ages past on my world of Elindra, there were nine distinct martial disciplines. Each with their own focus and separate philosophy. Each fiercely competitive and derisive of the others. Any one of them was powerful in its own right but each was only a part of the whole._

_It was the advent in ages past of the human named Reshar whom many now believe to have been the avatar of Kelanen the god of swords which led to the creation of the Nine-fold Path. The first recorded instance of Reshar's deeds is when he appeared before the Hobgoblin sword masters. Reshar passed every test and challenge they could think of, before they relented and gave him instruction. Thus began Reshar's journey._

_From the Hobgoblins of Vrakessh, Reshar learnt the discipline of Iron Heart, said to be the most difficult school of blade work in our world and the one that requires the most skill._

_From the Dervishes of the Tak-ta desert, Reshar learnt the discipline of Desert Wind, combining the movement of sword with the ability to channel his inner energy into flame and speed. _

_From the Elves of Avariel, Reshar learnt the discipline of the Diamond Mind, honing his mind and perception to allow him to act in instants of time that others can not even perceive. _

_From the Monastic Order of Lehan, Reshar learnt the discipline of the Devoted Spirit, allowing him to channels his own spirit and zeal into his blows. _

_From the Halflings of the Southern Isles, Reshar learnt the discipline of the Setting Sun, enabling him to turn his enemies' strengths to weaknesses and his own folly into wisdom._

_From the Tengu of the Dark Forest of Sikal, Reshar learnt the discipline of the Shadow Hand, where he learnt the ways of deception, shadow and cold. _

_From the Dwarven Thanes of the Forsaken Mountains, Reshar learnt the discipline of the Stone Dragon, learning to channel the strength of the mountains into his blows. _

_From the inhabitants of the Abilar Jungle, Reshar learnt the discipline of the Tiger Claw, unleashing the savage instincts and fury that lie within all. _

_Finally from the Knights of the Grim North, Reshar learnt the discipline of the White Raven, where the strength of the individual is nothing in the face allies acting in concert. _

_In the space of three years, Reshar mastered all nine disciplines, a feat no one has come close to managing._

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

A brief description of the Nine disciplines that will be used through out the fic and most importantly: That is the LAST of the pre-OC chapters. Means I can finally get on with writing my adaption of the actual OC. For anyone who's made it this far and read the first few chapters of this fic, please be reassured that the next few chapters will focus less on non-NWN2 material and more on what is actually going on in the game.

Also the first chapter should be up sometime during the weekend *knocks on wood.*


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